A Semi-Informed, Hastily Written Guide to Tonight's Tony Awards
AKA I Have Reached Peak Theater
The Tony Awards are tonight, celebrating what is supposedly the best of Broadway. But much like their equivalents in other industries — the Oscars, the Grammys, the Emmys — the Tonys get it right as often as they get it wrong. (Dear Evan Hansen winning Best Musical over The Great Comet is my Roman Empire.) This is my first year really following “the season” of musicals and plays, new and revived, all hoping to win big. Out of those “Big Four” awards that make up the EGOT, live theater depends the most on a strong showing at the Tonys to sell tickets and keep the show afloat.
There’s a lot of similarities between Broadway and the film industry at this moment. Both rely on IP-driven works (many movies are based on musicals, and many musicals are based on movies), both are imperiled. Vulture recently published a great piece, “We’ve Hit Peak Theater,” that delves into the precarious economics of mounting a Broadway show when the industry never recovered after COVID. Shows that were destined to be hits ended up flopping, and even the successes are relatively mild. It could be viewed as a skill issue, as many much hyped shows ended up receiving lukewarm critical reviews (with apologies to the Lempeople, I found the ambitious Lempicka to sadly be an ambitious mess, with the best thing about it being the New Yorker’s anatomy of how the show lost its footing.)
But amid the muck, pockets of transcendence. Groundbreaking works of theater like Stereophonic and Illinoise are always welcome correctives to the tourist-oriented dreck of Back to the Future. A season that makes room for both a Stephen Sondheim revival and a dark, operatic Adam Guettel musical are always welcome. And for fans of straight plays, who can argue with a star-studded Chekhov classic?
For dedicated theatergoers and Broadway nerds, you already know what shows you’re rooting for at tonight’s Tony Awards. For everyone else, here’s a quick primer on the Best Musical contenders to help you choose a bandwagon, and some quick words on the other major categories! (I only ended up seeing two of the Best Musical nominees but have heard a lot about all of them from friends who have seen ‘em.)
Best Musical
Hell's Kitchen
What it’s about: A bio-musical loosely based on Alicia Keys’ upbringing in 1990’s New York.
Why you should root for it: It’s the most nominated musical this year, with thirteen noms. Even though it’s a jukebox musical (all the songs are pre-existing), Hell’s Kitchen received surprisingly high critical acclaim. The show is very successful commercially, which is good for the industry overall. If walking through Times Square doesn’t make you tired of hearing “Empire State of Mind,” this show is for you!
Why you shouldn’t root for it: I haven’t seen this show, but I feel like I’m being pranked. The final number is the single most annoying song you’ll hear walking through Times Square (every time those stupid 360 cameras are blasting “IN NEW YOOOOOORK” I want to break shit). Like last year’s New York, New York, this play seems to have been produced solely so that tourists can see one classic New York song performed on stage. There’s no way this can actually be any good. Yet it’s performed well critically, commercially, and awardsly (not a word but whatever). I don’t understand. Maybe it’s actually good and I’m prejudiced. But until I do watch it, I will remain biased!
Does it have a chance of winning? Sadly yes, given the high nominations haul.
Illinoise
What it’s about: Based on indie rock musician Sufjan Steven’s classic album Illinois, this musical uses dance to tell a story about first love, first loss, and first acceptance.
Why you should root for it: It’s the most formally inventive musical of the five contenders. There’s no dialogue in this piece, which was directed by the legendary Justin Peck (he’s the Resident Choreographer of the New York City Ballet and choreographed Spielberg’s West Side Story). Yet the narrative is still clear, and Illinoise is both heartbreaking and uplifting. It’s not for everyone, but for fans of non-conventional musicals (or Sufjan Stevens), this is the show to root for.
Why you shouldn’t root for it: If this type of show isn’t your thing, then Illinoise will be an excruciating ninety minutes. And if you prefer original material to win, this is a jukebox musical, no matter how inventively presented.
Does it have a chance of winning? It’s the “intellectual” choice of these five musicals, so a passionate voting bloc of Tony voters could power this to a victory. (This award is determined by a simple plurality vote; most votes wins the prize.) But there may be some detractors who just wasn’t on this show’s wavelength.
The Outsiders
What it’s about: Based on the classic novel and with a well-known film adaptation, The Outsiders tracks a gang conflict in 1960’s Tulsa.
Why you should root for it: I haven’t seen this one, but a friend told me that she was in sort of a theatergoing slump until seeing The Outsiders. It wasn’t the greatest musical of all time or anything like that, but it had everything a musical fan wants to see: good songs, good acting, good story, good dancing. To paraphrase Harry Styles, “it feels like a musical.”
Why you shouldn’t root for it: Conceptually, this is fairly standard Broadway fodder. Based on a well known piece of intellectual property. The show’s directory, Danya Taymor, is a nepo baby (niece of the legendary Julie Taymor, best known for The Lion King and [for me] Across the Universe.)
Does it have a chance of winning? There isn’t too much going against the show, but also not much going for it, either.
Suffs
What it’s about: The women’s suffrage movement in America, particularly the passage of the 19th Amendment. (I haven’t seen this one either, but I really want to see it.)
Why you should root for it: Everyone I know who has seen it said that it was galvanizing and inspiring, while also not shying away from the racism of the suffrage movement. And it’s not based on any pre-existing work, and it’s nice for original musicals to get a post-Tonys bump in attendance! Malala Yousafzai is a producer, so she’d win a Tony if this won Best Musical.
Why you shouldn’t root for it: Hillary Clinton is also a producer, so she would also win a Tony. If so, she would be one Oscar away from an EGOT, which is very funny to me.
Does it have a chance of winning? I think this could be the winner tonight! It’s broadly accessible and would work well as a national tour, it’s original and written for adults, and it has a message that everyone can get behind (unless your name is Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito).
Water for Elephants
What it’s about: Based on the popular romance novel (which was turned into a movie with Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon). During the Great Depression, a young veterinarian runs away to join the circus and falls in love with the wife of the circus owner.
Why you should root for it: I honestly did not think I would like this show, and I ended up having a really good time because the acrobatics are incredible. “Cirque du Soleil” appears in the ensemble’s bios multiple times. I’m shocked that these dancers are doing all these incredible stunts eight times a week with no (reported) incidents. It’s definitely a show! Fans of The Flash and Glee will root for Grant Gustin being part of a Tony-winning show, even though he wasn’t nominated for his acting (he was mostly just fine but probably getting better as time goes on).
Why you shouldn’t root for it: Besides the dancing, the rest of the show is pretty bland. The book is functional and the music forgettable. If this won Best Musical it would probably be the biggest head scratcher.
Does it have a chance of winning? Not really. It would be baffling if it did, and I like this musical!
Best Play
Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic
Stereophonic
I’ve seen Mother Play (not good) and Stereophonic (amazing). It would be a massive, massive, massive shock if Stereophonic lost this award. It’s the most nominated play tonight, and has been a critical and commercial smash hit, which is rare as far as plays go. The show was extended until January, so you’ve got some time to see it!
Best Revival of a Play
Appropriate
An Enemy of the People
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch
I didn’t see An Enemy of the People, which many of my friends did solely to see the Eldest Boy in the flesh. Purlie Victorious was thrilling to watch, thanks to standout performances by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Kara Young. It would be a fine winner. But I think Appropriate will take the cake. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ play is a gutting riff on Tennessee Williams that excavates white complicity in racism, and Sarah Paulson kills it on stage. She’s probably winning tonight for her performance.
Best Revival of a Musical
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gutenberg! The Musical!
Merrily We Roll Along
The Who's Tommy
Merrily We Roll Along will win. No contest. Very deserved. Unfortunately, if you haven’t seen this production already, you probably won’t. It closes in a month and the cheapest ticket is over $300. (Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe will inflate ticket prices.)